IBM's Watson Group has made its first investment in a startup tied to its cognitive computing ecosystem by participating in a $22.1 million venture round for Welltok.

Qualcomm Ventures and New Enterprise Associates were the other participants in Welltok's Series C funding round along with existing investors in the company. Welltok has raised more than $40 million in the last nine months.

The idea behind Welltok is that the health industry can use social engagement tools and analytics to improve outcomes.

Welltok is developing its CafeWell Concierge, which is powered by Watson. CafeWell uses Watson to talk about health management and optimization. Welltok and IBM forged a joint development pact last year.